Monday, 9 October 2017

The Federal Government has described as fake and sinister the report that the outbreak of monkey pox in some parts of the country resulted from the alleged free medical care organised by the government for people of the affected areas.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said Nigerians should disregard the report which, he alleged, was apparently being spread by those he described as unscrupulous persons.

He said, ‘’The Federal Government has not conducted any free medical service or care in either Bayelsa or Rivers state, as alleged in the fake report being circulated. So that could not have been the cause of the outbreak of monkeypox in both states.

“Monkeypox is a virus found only in monkeys and it is rare in human beings. It belongs to the same family as chicken pox and small pox.

‘’It is suspected that someone may have contacted it by eating monkey meat, thus triggering the current outbreak.”

He assured that no effort will be spared in curtailing the spread of the disease.